The Story of a Stag and a Lily
by Sam Storsky
Summary: 7 short chapters about the legendary story of a Stag and a Lily and their love story.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Has He Changed? Or Is It Me?

Lily Evans adjusted her tie and left the Great Hall with her bag over one shoulder. She was ready to go to Potions class. As she turned a corner, she spotted James Potter and almost groaned out loud. She hoped she could go by unnoticed, even though it was just her, the Marauders, and a few others in the hallway. She was halfway across when Remus Lupin, a good friend of hers, waved at her. She waved back, and hoped Potter hadn't noticed. As she kept walking, she heard nothing, and she couldn't believe her luck. She took a quick look back, and saw the strangest sight. A small boy, probably a second year, had dropped his books, and James Potter was on the ground, helping him pick them up. She blinked a few times, and thought perhaps she had drunk too much Pumpkin Juice, and kept moving.

**Later that day...**

"Hey, Ally?" Lily Evans asked her friend cautiously. Ally looked up. Lily waited a moment before asking her question. "D-Do you notice anything _different_about James Potter?" She asked, quickly looking back down at the grass. The girls were sitting under a tree by the lake. The winter weather was quickly rolling in and everyone was determined to get outside before it hit.

"Uh, well, I guess he might've changed a bit. Maybe." Ally replied, frowning. "Why?" She added.

"I don't know, I saw him helping someone pick up their fallen books yesterday. He doesn't normally notice the people around him, and it's driving me crazy, it's an anomaly!" Lily huffed.

"Lily, dear, you worry too much. Just sit back, and _don't worry about it_." Ally smiled. Lily smiled back at her friend, but wasn't so sure if she could ignore it if he kept doing things like that. She was a curious person.

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><p><strong>AN: Hello. This will be 7 chapter long, all about this length. It's part of a trilogy for relationships, the ones that we never know how they start, or the story behind. There's Lily and James, Remus and Tonks, and most likely Draco and Astoria. Although, if anyone has suggestions for someone else other than Draco and Astoria, they're welcome to share!**

**Love,**  
><strong>SAM :)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Conversation

Spring was starting to finally come through after this year's rather harsh winter, and Lily Evans was more than glad for it.

"Evans!" Someone called out from behind her. She turned around before she could assess whose voice it was. Potter was jogging towards her.

"Yes, Potter?" She asked impatiently, for interrupting her walk.

"We need a prefect to look over our Quidditch practice, according to McGonagall." He said, pointing towards the Quidditch Pitch. She looked behind his shoulder and found his entire team on the ground, dressed in their robes, and holding their brooms. "Please?" He asked. She decided they must be pretty desperate, he was practically begging.

"Alright." She said, surprising herself. She decided her good mood was because of the weather.

"Thanks so much." He said gratefully. As they walked back towards the Pitch, Lily wondered why she wanted a Prefect to look over their practice. She never wanted that.

"Why does she want a prefect to look over practice?" She asked.

"Uh, the team got into a minor spat last time. And our two beaters kind of got hurt. She figured with some authority there, they wouldn't do it again." He explained quickly. They reached the Pitch. "Okay, Evans is going to watch over us, we can practice now." He told them all. They cheered loudly, mounted their brooms and went up in the air. Lily climbed up to go sit in the stands. Potter rose to her height on his broom. "Don't worry, we won't be long, it'll get dark soon. If you do end up wanting to leave, you can call Remus over."

"Alright." She said.

"Now, I was wondering, do you want to go out with me?" He asked, giving her a cheeky grin.

"No, Potter." She said evenly, once again accounting her politeness to the nice weather.

"Alright, just watch over, please?" She just nodded this time. As she watched them all play, she realized that she had her first civil conversation with James Potter. She smiled as she glanced at him flying around, expertly directing the team. Maybe he's not as bad as she once thought. After all, she'd used the impolite tone on him first, and he hadn't said anything about it.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A New Start

Lily sat with her book in the Heads' carriage, waiting for her fellow Head Boy to arrive. She wasn't sure who it was going to be, but she had her ideas. Her best guess was Remus Lupin, a good friend of hers.

"I thought I'd see you here." A familiar voice said. She looked up to see James Potter. On his chest, large and proud, was the Head Boy badge.

"Y-you're Head Boy?" She asked, stuttering out of pure surprise. She quickly recovered. "Sorry, I hadn't meant to sound so displeased." She apologized. She decided to mentally give him another shot after she learned he could be civil five months ago.

"It's okay." He chuckled. "I was surprised, too. Dumbledore's definitely gone insane." She could only nod in response. "Listen," He started. "I-I think we got off on the wrong foot or something, so, how about we start over?"

"Of course." She said, smiling. "Lily Evans." She held out her hand. He laughed and shook her hand.

"James Potter."

"We have to go meet with the Prefects in their carriage, James." She said, stressing the 'James'

"Let's go then, Lily." He said, also stressing the 'Lily.' They smiled at each other and Lily decided that perhaps James was right; they had gotten off on the wrong foot.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Getting to Know Each Other

"Alright, so we're going to put the Gryffindor Prefects on near the Dungeons, the Slytherin Prefects at the sixth floor, the Ravenclaw Prefects near on the First Floor, and the Hufflepuff Prefects…?" Lily asked James, who was sitting next to her, mouth ajar, and half-asleep. "Oh, we can put them on the fourth floor, that's empty. That leaves us with the fifth floor."

"Wonderful. Can we take a break now?" James asked, almost pleading. She sighed and sat back.

"Gladly." Lily murmured, closing her eyes, and resting her head back. After only a month of working together, but found they were able to work together well. They rarely disagreed about anything, and when they did, they always found a way to solve it quickly and harmlessly. "We've been working together for almost a month now, and I hardly know anything about you." She said.

"The most I know about you is your name. And you can organize well. And you're a pretty good leader. And you're smart. But really, that's it. And it's not much." He said, without opening his eyes.

"More than I can say for you. I know your name, obviously. You have pretty good ideas, you're like a natural born leader, and then that's it." Lily replied.

"Alright, Question game, whatddya say?" He said.

"The Question game?" She echoed.

"Yeah, we just asked each other questions about what we want to know about each other." He shrugged.

"Alright, go first." She said, sitting up and facing him.

"How are you always so focused?" He asked, struggling to get up.

"What?" She asked.

"The second I brought this up, your full attention was pulled to it. And whenever we're doing this," He pointed to their papers they were just working with. "You never stop unless you're done. And the entire time, you're never unfocused. You don't go into other topics." He explained.

"I don't know, I've never really noticed myself. I suppose as long as I'm interested, I'll pay attention. History of Magic was something I was never interested in,"

"Who is?" He muttered in interruption.

"So I'm never focused there." She finished. She asked the question that she'd wondered for years. "Alright, my turn, why's your hair always so messy? Do you never comb it?"

"No, I've tried, it just never works. Ever. And it's ridiculously fast-growing, too. Every time my mum tries to cut it, it always grows back." He explained. "I can't do anything about it." He reached up to touch it, and try to pat it down, but it stuck back up to its original state, proving his point. "What's your middle name?"

"Er, Marie…" She said, perplexed. "Why?"

"I don't know, your name always sounded kind of incomplete without a middle name." He shrugged. She laughed.

"Alright then. Favorite food?" She asked.

"Treacle Tart." He answered without missing a beat.

"Mine too." She said, smiling.

"Favorite class?" He asked.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts." She answered just as quickly as he had answered her question. "Your favorite class?"

"The same." He replied. "What do you want to do when you get out of here?"

"I'm not sure, probably an Auror, though." She said, shrugging."Tell me about your family."

"That's not a question." He replied, smiling.

"But it's a request for information, and a question is that, yes?" She said, smirking as he nodded.

"I'm an only child. My parents are quite old, and I'm not just saying that, my mom did have me fairly late. They were Aurors, are now retired. Sirius is technically part of my family, he moved in a while ago." He replied.

"Sirius moved in with you?" She asked, surprised.

"His family is, to put it nicely-"

"I know what his family's like." She interrupted him, looking at her hands.

"How? Remus?" He asked. She nodded. "What about yours?" He asked.

"I've got an older sister, she's…not the most pleasant person in the world. My parents are great, though." She finished, shrugging.

"Not the most pleasant?" He asked, encouraging for more information.

"We don't get along. Not since we found out who I really am, or _what_, as she sees it." She fidgeted in her seat , obviously uncomfortable. James yawned loudly.

"I see. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Lily. Good night." James said, rising to his feet. Lily picked up the papers sprawled out in front of her.

"Good night, James."

"Wait, Lily." He said before going up his stairs. She looked up. "Go out with me?" He asked.

"Good night, James."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Talk of the School

The news that Lily Evans and James Potter were not only cooperating, but were actually _friends _spread quicker than fire around the school. Some claimed that they had seen it all along, while others demanded proof.

"So, your new friend." Ally said, coming up to Lily after lunch.

"Yes, we're friends, Ally. Is there a problem?" Lily huffed, already annoyed with the looks she'd been getting all morning, and the excessive attention.

"No, none at all. But, I'll say this once, and never bother you about it again." She took a pause. "I TOLD YOU SO!" She screamed out, and ran away before Lily could even respond.

"Miss Evans, just the person I wanted to see!" Lily looked up. It was Professor McGonagall. "I've heard some interesting rumors…" Lily groaned to herself. Not her, too.

"Yes, James and I are cooperating, and we are friends." She said without emotion. McGonagall gave her a knowing smile.

"See you in class, Miss Evans. Keep up the good work." McGonagall said brightly, before hurrying away. Lily sighed. Why were the _teachers _gossiping?

"Hey, Lily!" Lily turned around, ready to hex the next person wanting information. It was Remus.

"Finally, someone who isn't going to beg me for information!" She said in relief.

"Have people been doing that all day?" He asked with an amused smile. She nodded sadly. "Well, I'd like to get this off my chest: I told you! I told you if you'd talk to him normally, you'd be friends!" He said in glee.

"Don't wet yourself." She muttered scornfully.

"He does it every night." Sirius said, suddenly appearing at her side.

"He would know, they sleep in the same bed." James snickered, appearing at her other side.

"Yeah, and James stays up watching them." Peter laughed. They all laughed at each other, and Lily couldn't help but smile.

"So, are you relishing all the attention?" Sirius asked excitedly, nodding his head in the direction of the onlookers.

"No." She said forcefully, glaring at the nearest wide-eyed student.

"Well, get used to it." Sirius said, winking at her. She raised an eyebrow. "There's more coming your way." He said, and fled with James, Remus, and Peter. She looked after them, more confused than ever.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Let's Go To Hogsmeade

"Ally, why are you bringing me along? I don't get it." Lily huffed as her friend dragged her through the halls of Hogwarts.

"You don't have to come on the date with me, I just want you to be there until I leave." Her friend said vaguely. Lily knew there was some kind of reason Ally wasn't telling her. They went down the steps to the courtyard, and Ally seemed more jittery.

"But you know Remus, you know Remus _well_." Lily told her, trying to weasel the real reason without her. Ally sighed.

"But you won't leave the castle unless I forcefully pull you out like this!" Ally replied, stopping by a statue.

"And for good reason, too! Our midterms are coming up!" Lily yanking her arm out of Ally's grip.

"Lily, it's _November_, midterms are in _January_." Ally said, rolling her eyes.

"Hi, girls." The two turned around and saw Remus and James walking towards them. "Ready to go?" Remus asked Ally with a nervous smile.

"Yeah." She said, blushing as she took his hand. Lily stood there, watching them walk away and talk to each other quietly and shyly.

"I'd think this was cute, if I wasn't mad at her for dragging me out of the Common Room." Lily told James, still watching them fondly. James didn't answer, so she looked up towards him. He was staring intently at her.

"I was wondering, if you maybe wanted to accompany me to Hogsmeade?" James asked. "On a date." He clarified. She stared at him, really thinking about this question for once. Yes, he deflated his head. Yes, he was tolerable. And yes, she knew she could possibly like him.

"Before we go, I just want to clarify. I'm giving you another shot. I don't exactly know if I like you or not." She said, voicing the thoughts that somehow surfaced through the last month. She was unsure if she had more than friendly feelings towards him. He suddenly looked a lot happier.

"I-of course, I don't expect you to. Come, where do you want to go?" He asked quickly, walking alongside her.

"I don't really mind anywhere. I had no plans to come here, anyway." She shrugged.

"That's true. You don't mind the Three Broomsticks?" He asked. She shook her head. They fell into a comfortable silence as they walked down the path to Hogsmeade. Lily decided to keep her thoughts about this date until after it was done. Perhaps she could pretend he was a regular bloke and not James Potter. He opened the door to the Three Broomsticks, and she walked in, met by the scent of Butterbeer. They sat in the far corner. "Did you want anything?" She shook her head. "I'll get myself a Butterbeer, then." He got up for and walked towards the bar, and came back just as quickly, and eased back into a conversation with Lily.

The two sat in the Three Broomsticks until it was almost time to go back to the castle.

"We should head back." Lily said, watching the last of the students leave.

"Yeah, we should." Both got up and headed for the door. The way back was just as quiet as the way there. They stopped at the statue they'd met at.

"I…" Lily started, unable to find words. James smiled sadly down at her. He thought she didn't have feelings for him at all! "I need time." She said quickly, so he wouldn't act on the wrong idea.

"You can have all the time you want."

"Don't worry, I'm just going to sleep on it." She said, patting his arm, and went to greet Ally and Remus, who were approaching them.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry I skipped a week! Hopefully won't happen again!**

**Love,  
>SAM :)<br>**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: You've Slept On It?

Deciding whether or not she liked James Potter was probably one of the easiest decisions of her life. So, as she walked into the Great Hall full of students, she was more than confident. Only ten minutes had passed since they came back from Hogsmeade, and it had only taken her the walk to the Great Hall to decide anything. Her stomach flip-flopped when she spotted the distinguishing mop of black hair. She walked down the table, and was glad that she had the upper hand, so he couldn't take her by surprise and cause her to panic.

"James? I need to talk to you." She said, appearing behind him.

"Sit down." He said, gesturing the empty spot next to him. His other three friends seemed tactful enough to turn away and engage in their own conversation; however, Lily knew that his friends were anything but tactful, and it was more likely that James had kicked all of them under the table.

"I've come to a decision." She said slowly and quietly. He froze. He slowly put the food down and turned towards her completely. His face revealed nothing less than pure shock.

"You've slept on it?" He asked cheekily, recovering quickly. "That was quick." He said, shooting her a charming grin.

"Apparently it only took me until the Great Hall to decide." She shrugged. He leaned forward, his eyebrows raised, and his eyes wide. A blush was slowly creeping on his cheeks.

"So what is it then?" He asked in a weak voice, as though he expected her to turn him down yet again.

"I-" She took a deep breath, and willed herself not to put anything off any longer, and to just say it. "I seem to be returning your feelings."

"Really?" He asked in disbelief, a grin suddenly spreading on his face. She suddenly felt a lot better, and her stomach erupted in butterflies. She rolled her eyes and felt herself turning red as well, to match his now almost completely flushed face.

"No, I'm just pulling your leg." She said sarcastically, and smiled at him. He ran a hand through his hair and smiled back at her.

"So this means you'll finally be my girlfriend?" He asked. She nodded, stifling the urge to once again roll her eyes. "And you'll come with me to every Hogsmeade weekend? Well, not _every-_"

"Because we have midterms coming up. And we need to study." She finished for him. He laughed.

"No, because there are Marauder-ly things I need to do, too." He corrected. "And you have friends, too."

"He's got that right." Sirius said, turning around again James. "Well, I congratulate you both." Lily rolled her eyes. "Now," He stuck his wand to his throat, and both Lily's and James' eyes widened in shock.

"Sirius…" They said warningly at the same time.

"PROFESSOR!" Sirius' magnified voice shouted, causing everyone in the vicinity to cover their ears. All of the professors looked at him.

"Sirius!" Lily said warningly.

"PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE!" He clarified. Dumbledore smiled down at him.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Black?" Dumbledore asked, without the need to raise his voice, since the Hall was already silenced by Sirius' magnified voice.

"WHAT'S TODAY'S DATE?" He shouted, despite the _Sonorus_.

"I don't think you need the _Sonorus_, anymore." Remus grumbled from behind Sirius.

"It's the 11th, Mr. Black. May I ask why you are inquiring?" Dumbledore replied with an amused smile. Lily could have sworn he glanced at her and James for a fraction of a second.

"THANK YOU." Sirius paused. "TO ANYONE WHO HAS PLACED BETS ON LILY AND JAMES: THOSE OF YOU WHO SAID BEFORE NOVEMBER 15TH WERE RIGHT, AND THOSE WHO SAID AFTER ARE WRONG. I'LL BE HANDING OUT THE MONEY LATER. THANK YOU." He sat down, and the entire hall was silent. Lily and James went red, and were suddenly extremely interested in their food.

"Does that mean they're dating, then?" A sixth year Gryffindor shouted from the other side of the table.

"It sure does." Sirius said. The effects were instantaneous. Suddenly everyone was cheering, and Lily was looking down into her food, completely flustered. James was grinning widely at everyone. "Lily, look." Sirius said, pointing to the Staff table. Most were exchanging money. Her jaw dropped.

"I can't believe this!" She said, watching Slughorn hand over money to McGonagall, Dumbledore, Hagrid, _and_ Flitwick.

"Well, this'll be an interesting story to tell." Sirius told them both, grinning as the three of them watched the scene unfold. "The Story of a Stag and a Lily."

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><p><strong>AN: And that's the end of Part 1! Next week will start part 2, and that'll be 10 chapters long, about this length, about Remus and Tonks!**

**Love,**

**SAM :)  
><strong>


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